Translator: Henyee Editor: Henyee
Draped in a thick cloak of darkness, Gu Shenwei felt quite at ease.
Han Fen was sitting in her tent and happily sewing with a handful of rags while humming simple, merry nursery rhymes.
But the lyrics sent shivers down one’s spine upon hearing them: Peel off the skin, open the chest, place the viscera in a row. Slice the flesh, cut off the head, find the heart …
She turned her head and smiled with joy as she said, “Ehh, it’s the Dragon King. How are you? I’ve had a little too much for supper tonight. The mutton took up too much room in my stomach. Can we find a way to get some vegetables?”
“I’ll find a way.”
“Hee, that’s great. Look, I made this.”
Han Fen held up what she was sewing. It was a doll over a foot tall which was nearly completed. The facial features of the doll had been drawn in advance, but the brushwork was as childish as something drawn by a three year old. It had ferocious eyes, a large bloody mouth that was most of its face, and sharp teeth that still seemed to be dripping blood.
“Not bad,” praised Gu Shenwei insincerely.
“This is the Master Commander. I’ll keep it with me when it’s done.”
Han Fen smiled from the bottom of her heart like a good kid who had prepared a secret gift for her parents.
“Hmm, very good. Come with me. I need your protection.”
Han Fen put down the unfinished doll and seemed to transform into a completely different person as she stood up. She started carefully observing with her peripheral vision even when standing in her own tent. She had changed roles and become the killer behind the Dragon King.
Gu Shenwei was very satisfied even though Han Fen’s madness always left a deep impression on him. He often wondered how Lotus had withstood the crazy training of Waning Moon Hall while still remaining rational without showing much of a change.
They were followed right after leaving camp. After circling around for a while, the two lost their tails at the craftsmen district before moving to the slums of the livestock market, where they were still being spied on. Gu Shenwei found three hidden sentries, who were watching the trap with rapt attention.
Gu Shenwei knew what had happened without going inside. Lotus had run away with Han Xuan and Shangguan Shaomin, leaving a sign that only Gu Shenwei could read. About ten steps away, a stick was placed by the left side of the tent.
He even knew where Lotus was hiding, but there was no need to find her right now.
Next, Gu Shenwei planned to cross the entire Royal Court and go to the Flower Camp in the northernmost area. He had decided to visit the Second Consort at night. Time was urgent, and he couldn’t wait for King Rizhu to make an arrangement.
As he passed through the noble district, Gu Shenwei found the atmosphere had dramatically changed. All the camps were on high alert and armed soldiers were patrolling in droves, making the whole area look like a pre-war barracks.
But it was a barracks in disarray. The different camps guarded against each other more than they did outsiders. And each time the patrolmen, who belonged to different lords, approached or faced each other, they generated ‘sparks’ even brighter than that of the torches nearby.
There had always been a delicate balance between the Khan’s life span and the fight for the throne. King Kuari’s action, however, had broken the balance. Now every royal member of the Norland was afraid that a large-scale war would break out soon.
But it was a good thing for the night-walkers. Due to the tension between the various camps, the safe paths were wider and smoother than usual. Gu Shenwei, therefore, was able to reach the northern forbidden area quickly.
The Flower Camp was located in the forbidden zone, where the guarding method had not changed. Except for a small number of the Khan’s direct troops patrolling the periphery, the soldiers on sentry guard were all female.
These female soldiers were all servants of the Second Consort. They had changed into a military uniform because of their lord’s whims and had only been irregularly trained for a very short time. Therefore, they could not be compared to the female archers of the Land of Fragrance.
They were even reluctant to put a helmet on their buns. Although they kept a decent watch at the guard post, they did not look out of the camp. Instead, they combed each other’s hair, tidied the corners of their clothes, murmured, and chuckled from time to time.
Such a defense was futile.
But Gu Shenwei acted more carefully than he did when crossing the noble’s district. This was the Flower Camp, where all the prestigious women and female servants lived. Once exposed, even if it were just rumors, his reputation would be seriously damaged.
So Han Fen replaced him as the pathfinder. She had to first make sure there were no ambushes inside the camp and then she would notify the Second Consort of the Dragon King’s visit. About an hour later, Han Fen quietly came out of the camp and motioned for the Dragon King to come in. She wore a faint smile on her face as if she had really enjoyed the task the Dragon King gave her.
The tent of the Second Consort was very conspicuous. Located in the center of the camp, it was the largest and most luxurious tent in the entire camp. The outer layer of the tent was made from pale yellow silk, which glistened under the light of the fire. Even if the other prestigious women had brought better tents with them, they dared not compete with the host.
However, Gu Shenwei didn’t enter the main tent. Han Fen led him to a remote small tent where there was no fire around. It was inconspicuous and easy to hide from others.
Han Fen stood guard outside.
Dressed in a loose casual long dress and no make-up on her face, she seemed to have been roused just when she had fallen asleep, but she did not look annoyed at all. On the contrary, she was full of interest, reminiscent of the scene in which Gu Shenwei had called up Shangguan Ru in the middle of the night.
“Your subordinate is really interesting.”
“She doesn’t understand the rules.”
“But she’s very able. She made my servants sleep like dead men and directly walked to my bed.” The Second Consort smilingly shook her head and didn’t appear as panicked as ordinary women. She even looked a bit regretful, “The whole Royal Court is like a rutting buffalo, ready to gore everyone else to death. Only, my place is like an unguarded sheepfold, and any wolf can break in. You are such a wolf.”
“In the Royal Court, only the Khan is a wolf. I’m merely another sheep looking for more of my kind to protect myself.”
The Second Consort laughed and said, “Anyway, I have to strengthen the defenses after you leave. Why my female soldiers are not as good as those of the Land of Fragrance?”
“They haven’t been to war.”
“Tell me really now.” The Second Consort suddenly ended the friendly banter and became serious. “I’ve heard enough gossip, but surely the Dragon King doesn’t want to be discredited?”
Of course Gu Shenwei did not want that. He had spent all that time crossing the Royal Court, so he also had to finish this conversation as quickly as possible. He responded, “I don’t trust King Rizhu.”
“Hmm,” replied the Second Consort ambiguously. She seemed to agree with Gu Shenwei but also looked a bit doubtful.
“King Rizhu claimed to be the protector of the Khan, but I heard that the Khan wants to weaken the power of the Naihang Tribe. Besides, both you and Chief Consort are from the Naihang Tribe, and since you already hold such a large advantage, there’s no need for King Rizhu to ask me for help.”
“Why would you believe me if you don’t believe King Rizhu?”
“Because you hate him.”
“Haha.” The Second Consort laughed heartily but wasn’t able to completely hide the flutters in her heart. “The Dragon King is really a good comedian. Where did you hear this gossip? From a herdsman who’s too old to move except to whisper rumors?”
“I guessed.”
“Guessed?” Second Consort’s smile suddenly disappeared. “Save your breath if you are trying to trick me. King Rizhu and I are united by common interests. He needs to ensure the power of the Naihang Tribe while I need to retain my position. That’s all. There’s no such thing as hating him or not hating him. Whether he wants to protect the Khan or not is not important to me, nor is it to you. All you need to know is that your enemy is King Kuari.”
The Second Consort’s series of words made Gu Shenwei even more sure of his guess. “I didn’t mean to trick you into anything. Please let me finish first. If I’m wrong, you can drive me away. I’ll go to King Rizhu and kowtow to him as an apology.”
“Say it.”
Gu Shenwei’s speculation wasn’t entirely imaginary. Although the officials were reluctant to offer the Dragon King more information, Fang Wenshi still could learn a lot of hearsay from various channels. Lots of the rumors were useless, but Gu Shenwei could still extract some useful information, thus laying the foundation for his guess.
It was a bold conjecture but it could explain a lot of the doubts he had.
“The poison on the saber that killed King Rizhu’s son was not applied by my father.”
“You really know how to defend Gu Lun, but what does that have to do with King Rizhu and me? Anyway, his son was dead and I was married the Khan.”
“It was King Rizhu who applied the poison. He killed his own son so that he could legitimately present you to the Khan. The Khan has had his eye on you long before you became famous; the only obstacle was that you were engaged.”
The Second Consort’s expression changed with each word Gu Shenwei said, between being surprised, confused, and finally furious. “Who do you think you are? A god? Get out!”
For the first time, Gu Shenwei felt that he had seen the Second Consort’s true face instead of being kept in a dark thick fog and forced to accept her guidance.
“I’m not a god. I’m like you, someone who has made up their mind for revenge.”
The Second Consort breathed heavily. For a moment, she seemed to want to shout and wake up the whole camp, but her voice dropped when she spoke next. “Your enemy is Golden Roc Castle.”
“The poison on the saber was provided by Golden Roc Castle.”
“Are you sure?”
“The poison was very special, and not many people in the world can produce it, of whom Golden Roc Castle is one of them. If the rumor is right, King Rizhu used to be very friendly with Golden Roc Castle.”
The Second Consort fell silent.
Gu Shenwei had already figured this out from Shangguan Shaomin. The previous generation’s Unique King had vowed to give up all secret arts yet they had kept the production method of the Female Gu, which meant that Golden Roc Castle might have more techniques hidden away.
Since Lotus was quite sure that the Waning Moon Hall hadn’t sent anyone to Norland, the most reasonable source of poison would be Golden Roc Castle.
Gu Shenwei couldn’t guarantee the accuracy of the guess, but he appeared quite confident in front of the Second Consort.
The Second Consort paused for a long while before saying, “You are very clever, but beware of being too clever. It will cause you big trouble.”
Gu Shenwei had heard similar words before, but this time he wanted to say that he had been causing trouble this whole time and that the solution to big trouble was to cause bigger trouble.
“I think we can unite again, a real alliance.”
“You believe me, but I don’t believe you.” The Second Consort showed a slight contempt smirk, and then continued, saying, “You only brought fifty or so people with you. How can you compete with the kings of the Norland?”
“I can’t, but with your strength, we can, and I also have a thousand female soldiers of the Land of Fragrance.”
The Second Consort was still hesitating. She was very surprised that the Dragon King had figured out her secrets. She had to slowly accept all this. “Help me save a person, lend me the female soldiers of the Land of Fragrance, and then we will be united.”
“Who?”
“Luo Ningcha. She was taken away by King Kuari. I made a big bet on her, and I can’t just give that up for nothing.”
